Holiday Travel Tips: Maintaining Your Child’s Oral Hygiene on the Go

It’s time for holiday celebrations, and your kids are doubtless looking forward to holiday visits with family and friends as well as lots of treats. During these hectic months, it can be easy to let some things slide, but good oral hygiene shouldn’t be one of them. Maintaining good dental care habits is especially important when your child is exposed to a lot of sugary treats. When traveling, keep our suggestions in mind to keep your kids’ oral hygiene on track.

Stick to a Routine

If your kids brush and floss every morning and before bed, make sure they continue to do so even when visiting their grandparents or when traveling. Staying at a hotel or crashing late at night at a friend’s house is no excuse to skip brushing your teeth. There’s always a sink and some water, so compromising isn’t an option. Setting a reminder on your watch can be helpful.

Eat & Drink Properly on the Road

It’s tempting to fill up on Twinkies and chips while you’re on the road, but snacks like these do a number on your child’s teeth, quickly leading to cavities. Instead, pack up nutritious snacks like raisins, fresh fruit, raw vegetables and dips, and chunks of cheese. These are healthier for their teeth and gums and will satisfy their hunger better. Also, keep bottles of water handy instead of sodas to keep your children hydrated without the sugar or corn syrup found in carbonated beverages.

Prepare a Travel Dental Kit

Before leaving on your trip, whether it’s across the state to see the grandparents or across the country for a ski vacation, put together a dental travel kit so you have everything you need in a travel-size that will fit easily into your suitcase or duffel bag. What should you include? Here are the essentials:

• Toothbrushes with covers
• Dental floss
• Toothpaste
• Small bottle of mouthwash
• Sugarless gum
• Small water bottle
• Small cup for rinsing
• Dental repair kit for emergencies
• Cotton gauze
• Ora-Jel or another topical pain reliever
• Emergency phone number for your dentist

Visit Us Before Your Trip

A pre-vacation visit to the dentist is always a good idea for your child. It allows us to examine their teeth for potential cavities or other issues that may develop into problems that need treatment while you are on vacation or visiting relatives. No one wants a toothache to be the reason your child wakes up early on Christmas morning! We can also provide dental sealants or fluoride treatments if needed to protect and strengthen your child’s teeth.

Be Prepared for a Dental Emergency

It’s the holidays, when everyone is concentrating on celebrating and having fun. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean accidents won’t happen. If a tooth is knocked out or broken, being prepared and acting quickly are two key factors that can help save a permanent tooth. At each destination on your travels, be aware of or find an emergency phone number for a local dentist. Also, be sure your dental travel kit has gauze to stop any bleeding, dental wax to cover broken braces or a cracked tooth, and a dental repair kit. Be sure you have your child’s dental insurance information with you as well.

Make Dental Care Fun While Traveling

Traveling is an adventure for kids. Make it even more fun by encouraging them to create their own dental travel kits. They can choose a fun toothbrush with their favorite character or in a fun color, pick their favorite flavor of toothpaste and dental floss, and a pencil box, zipper bag, or some other appropriately sized container to hold everything. They can even personalize it with stickers or markers.

After the holidays, clean and disinfect their new toothbrush and kit away until your next vacation. Having a special dental kit handy and ready to go any time you’re prepared to take a trip will make it easier to keep your kid’s oral hygiene on track.